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Thursday, 19 February 2015

The 2015 20-Milers cycling weekend will be to Peebles on 16th - 17th May.

We'll leave Edinburgh on the Saturday morning and head to Peebles via Gladhouse Reservoir, Eddleston, the Meldons and Lyne Station. We'll stay overnight (all meet up for dinner) in Peebles and return to Edinburgh on the Sunday via Innerleithen and Middleton.

The pace will be similar to a usual 20-Milers rides. The distance each day will be about 40 miles.

You will need to book your own accommodation. It's very likely that we'll end up in several different hotels / guest houses / bed & breakfasts. A quick on-line search suggests that you should expect to pay about £50.00 each for accommodation. You may be able to find somewhere cheaper or more expensive. Some may want to have a single room, whilst others will be happy to share.

I'm after an idea of how many might be interested in joining this ride. Please let me know if you are interested. This does not commit you to going. But I do need to know if there is sufficient interest in order for the trip to go ahead.

Saturday, 14 February 2015

The February 20 Milers began in murky and misty conditions. The weather forecast suggested that it would have cleared somewhat by lunchtime. This was not the case and peering through the gloom with lights on was the order of the day. There would have been some fine views, but they remained hidden in the mist. It was a pleasant change not having to worry about ice. Although it was milder than of late, the damp and misty weather made it feel colder than expected.

It was good to see a few new faces along with a recumbent rider that had not ridden with the group for several months. We set off with 26 riders split into two groups. Arriving at the canal, it was one of those rare occasions when the Leamington Bridge was raised. Most carried their bikes up the steps, whilst a few (including the recumbent rider) opted to ride down to the canal basin and up the other side.

We pressed on alongside the canal through Wester Hailes. On leaving the canal towpath to make towards the Royal Bank of Scotland HQ; the second group had a pleasant surprise. The first group had left them some heart-shaped chocolates on the barrier beside the path. Having polished off these surprise treats; one of the riders passed round some delicious homemade heart-shaped biscuits she had brought along. On past the Royal Bank of Scotland HQ, over the bridge and down the lovely sweeping path that brought us out beside the A8 and on beyond Gogar Roundabout. Along Turnhouse Road and onwards to whizz down Cammo Walk. We carried on making our way eventually to the steep climb up the road to Craigie Farm for a well-deserved lunch stop. During the course of the morning, the five minute gap between the two groups had increased considerably. As a result, a few minutes after the second group arrived, the first group headed off. On the run back into town, both groups suffered more punctures in addition to having to take a diversion through the Dalmeny Estate whilst NCN1 is closed for widening and resurfacing. Once the diversion had been navigated, it was back onto familiar territory and the run back to the start via Cramond Bridge, Barnton, Roseburn Path, Dalry, the Telfer subway and the canal.

Saturday, 10 January 2015

Any hopes of a record turnout for the first 20 Milers ride of 2015 seemed to have been dashed by the previous night's strong winds and heavy rain. The forecast for more strong winds and the possibility of snow was not appealing. After an unpromising start, we managed to muster a total of 20, including several new faces

Before we had reached the canal at Leamington Bridge, the group had been buffeted by several strong gusts of wind, one of which blew a rider clean off her bike, fortunately without injury. The weather settled down for a while. Having crossed the tram tracks at Haymarket without incident, we stopped to regroup. At this point the sky went very dark and we were battered by a heavy shower of stinging sleet as we made our way towards the Roseburn Path and on to Silverknowes.

By the time we reached Silverknowes Esplanade the sun was shining down from a cloudless blue sky. This had all the makings of a typical Edinburgh four seasons in one day type of day, except it never got warm. The group had gradually become more and more spread out.

There were now two groups. We had already decided to abandon plans to go along the Western Harbour Breakwater near Newhaven Harbour as it was very exposed and we didn't fancy getting blown into the Forth. The first group stuck quite rigidly to the agreed route. But they were forced to take a diversion due to a path closure. This led them across a wet and slippery wooden boardwalk which resulted in a faller; fortunately without injury. The second group were somewhat lax in sticking to the agreed route and managed to arrive at the lunch stop in Leith first. We split between two venues for lunch.

Suitably warmed and fed, the two groups became one again as we headed back towards town via Portobello, the Magdalenes and the Innocent Railway. The skies became very grey and we finished the ride through sleety snow. Our only respite from it being our ride through the Innocent Tunnel.

Thanks to Mike for leading us on an interesting first ride of 2015; one which could so easily have fallen victim to the weather. Although the weather was far from ideal, it was considerably better than the forecast had suggested.

Friday, 9 January 2015

I am sorry to report that one of our long-standing members, Andy Hunter, has died at the age of 60.

Andy was a well-known member of the Edinburgh cycling community. He often led our 20-Milers rides, the most recent one being just last month, when he took us on a tour of south Edinburgh, serving mulled wine at the rest stops.

He was an active member of Spokes, and had recently started leading rides for Ageing Well. He organised an annual bike ride for his church, and feeder rides for Pedal on Parliament. As the founder of Storybikes, he combined his love of cycling with his role as a professional story teller, organising cycling tours of Scotland for visitors from around the world. His story-telling reached audiences on BBC radio, at the Edinburgh Book Festival, and at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival.

I don't have much information about the circumstances of Andy's death. According to a report in the Herald, Andy was in England at the time, cycling to a friend's funeral in Herefordshire. His body was found alongside his bike at the side of the road in the village of Michaelchurch Escley. I understand there were no other vehicles involved and no suspicious circumstances. A post-mortem was carried out, and this showed that he died of a heart attack.

There will be a funeral service for Andy on 23rd January at 11am in Polwarth Parish Church, then at Mortonhall Cemetery.

Tuesday, 6 January 2015

For Saturday's ride, we'll be heading north to Silverknowes, then following the waterfront towards Portobello, visiting the harbours at Granton, Newhaven and Leith along the way. The total distance will be about 21 miles. Most of the route will be on tarmac, and it will include a couple of stretches on main roads that might be busy with traffic. There'll be a few moderate hills.

For lunch, we'll stop at the Shore in Leith, where there are several cafés to choose from, plus benches for those of us who prefer to bring a picnic.

We'll meet at our usual spot at the top of Middle Meadow Walk, ready to leave at 10.30. The ride is planned to finish at the Meadows between about 15.00 and 16.00. Sunset is at 16.05 that day, so you will probably need lights to see you home.

As always, the above route information should be regarded as provisional. On all our rides, we might change the route or destination (but not the meeting place or time) at the last minute, according to the weather or other factors.

Thursday, 25 December 2014

The 20 Milers annual Christmas Day short ride continues to go from strength to strength. No doubt helped by favourable weather and no sign of the forecasted frost; 25 riders turned up at the start. Michael arrived dressed as Santa which was a great hit with children and adults alike along the route. Usually we would have split into two groups. But as leader Mike was the only one that really knew the route (and because he was making some of it up as he went along) we remained as one group with a leader, mid-marker and back marker. We set off and made our first stop to admire the view from the Castle Esplanade which was crowded with tourists. We made our way round the back of the Usher Hall, across Lothian Road, behind the Sheraton Hotel and beside the canal to Leamington Bridge.

We meandered around quiet backstreets and paths to make our first of two visits to Dean Village. From there we made our way to Princes Street where we had an unfortunate "rider down" incident on the wet and slippery tram tracks. Our mid-marker picked himself up with fortunately nothing more than bumps and bruises. As he sits writing this report in the evening, he feels a bit sore but doesn't expect any lasting damage. Damned tram tracks!

We carried on and climbed up Calton Hill to be met by bright sunshine, glorious views over Edinburgh and throngs of tourists. This was also our refreshment stop. As is now the norm on these Christmas Day rides; many riders had brought cake, sweets, hot drinks, mince pies and mulled wine to sustain us for the remainder of the ride.

As we walked down the steps off Calton Hill the first riders began to head home. Others peeled off as they got close to home. With the numbers depleting we headed back to Stockbridge via McDonald Road, St Marks Park and Dean Village again.

Another successful Christmas Day ride came to an end with us all heading home. Thanks to Mike for leading an interesting and enjoyable ride. Thanks to those that kept us sustained with Christmas food and drink. It was good to see so many new faces; many of whom we hope will join us on our monthly rides next year. Was also good to see a number of regular CTC riders join us.

Friday, 19 December 2014

We've got a ride planned for the morning of 25th December (Christmas day). This will be a short run, taken at our usual easy, sociable pace.

One of the nice things about Christmas day in Edinburgh is that the city is relatively free of traffic. We'll take advantage of that to visit parts of the city centre that we might prefer to avoid at other times.

We'll meet at our usual spot at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk, in time for a 10.30 start. The ride will finish no later than 13.00, in or near the West End. Note that there will be no café or lunch stop.

For those who can't make it on Thursday, our next normal monthly ride will be on 10th January.

About us

20-milers bike rides are at the easy-to-moderate level. They are suitable for occasional cyclists and those with a little more experience. They are a good choice for riders who are comfortable cycling about 20 miles in day, but who might not feel ready for a longer or more strenuous day out. (If you haven't cycled for a while, or are unsure of your abilities, consider starting with EasyCycle instead.)

We favour easy paths and gentle gradients where possible, and aim to avoid heavy traffic.

We meet on the second Saturday of every month at the north end of Middle Meadow Walk (at the junction with Lauriston Place) in Edinburgh at 10.30am.

All our rides are free. There's no advance booking: just turn up on the day.